The European Civic Forum hosted its first European Democratic Citizenship Awards on Saturday 3rd May 2014 in Strasbourg City Hall.

The ceremony was hosted by the Strasbourg City Council. Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg, ECF President, Jean-Marc Roirant, MEP Catherine Trautmann, and Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, Deputy Mayor, who has supported the initiative since the very beginning, as well as Brigitte Degen from the European Commission task force on the European Year of Citizens were also present to reward the winners.

The ceremony rewarding the most innovative and creative approaches to the development of a true European active citizenship began with a short retrospect by ECF President, Jean-Marc Roirant on ECF accomplishments since its creation nearly ten years ago in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe. MEP Catherine Trautmann, and Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, Deputy Mayor, who have supported the initiative since the very beginning, as well as Brigitte Degen from the European Commission task force on the European Year of Citizens were also present to reward the winners.

This years winners are...

- Right 2 Water for the NGO of the Year - Goteo for the NGO of the Year - Pedro Santos and Joao Labrincha for the Personality of the Year - Europe’s Café for the Citizen Media of the Year

This first edition was quite an adventure. The open call for nominations was launched mid-March. Despite this short timing, more than 10 000 votes were casted on line between 14th and 25th of March, to decide which campaign, NGO, personality and citizen media to reward for their innovative approach to democratic citizenship.

Great moment of celebration, this first edition was all in all a success, particularly with regards to the laureates and their day-to-day struggles to get ownership of the public space and help create civic-driven social change. Quite some lessons to be learned though, in terms of gender balance! We would like to say our deep regret that no woman was nominated as such in the personality of the year category and we can only hope next years’ editions will largely compensate this absence.

And now that the dice are rolling, we really hope that this European Democratic Citizenship Awards will help connect, give visibility, but also public recognition and support to all those who work to improve the lives of our communities in terms of democracy, social justice and access to rights.